Traditional rooftop carriers typically are rigidly secured to the roof or roof rack of an automobile. These known carriers are typically difficult to install, and as a result are generally permanently installed on a single vehicle or are installed for an extended period of time. Moreover, the known rooftop carriers often require the aid or use of more than one person to install them.
Upon the arrival at the desired location, for example a ski resort, a user must remove the equipment from the rooftop carrier. Because the known rooftop carriers are left attached to the automobile, the user must carry all the pieces of the equipment individually (e.g., the skis and poles). As a result, transporting the equipment is difficult since the equipment is in individual pieces and is not in an easily transportable package. Consequently, users of traditional rooftop carriers often must purchase separate equipment transporters or carriers to facilitate moving the equipment from the automobile to the desired location, e.g., from the parking lot to the ski lodge or to the ski slope. Another disadvantage of the known rooftop carriers is that a user must purchase a separate storage device for storing the equipment during the off-season or while not in use.
Accordingly, what is needed is a car top carrier that is easily portable and easily installed on the roof of a car so that the device may be used on multiple vehicles. Once installed, the device should be easy to load and unload equipment. Moreover, the device should be useful for the storage and transportation of the equipment once removed from the automobile while the equipment is not in use.